[49.02] Poynting-Robertson Effects in Saturn's F Ring

S.M. Giuliatti Winter (UNESP-Guaratingueta-Brazil)

Observations from the Voyager spacecraft have shown that the
narrow F ring of Saturn is composed of micrometer-sized
particles that extend inward from the core (Showalter
et al., Icarus, 1992; Graps et al.,
Icarus, 1984). These small particles can be disturbed by
the effects of the Poynting-Robertson drag (PR drag), which
cause their orbital decay.

The F ring particles are also perturbed by the nearby
satellite Prometheus. The effects of the satellite are
intensified during the closest approach with the ring
particles. At this special configuration gaps are formed in
the ring as result of scattering of particles in the
direction of the planet (Giuliatti Winter et al.,
PSS, 2000).

In this work we analyze the effects of the PR drag combined
with the perturbations of the satellite Prometheus. Our
results show that depending on the initial conditions of the
ring particles the satellite can avoid the orbital decay
caused by the PR drag (Giuliatti Winter & Guimarães,
2000).

There are some resonance locations in the region between
Prometheus and the F ring, some of them with the satellite
Atlas (Giuliatti Winter, 1994). We also analyze the orbital
evolution of a dust ring particle subjected to PR drag and
Atlas perturbations.